ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order establishing his prison closure task force, which will identify "minimum and medium security facilities for closure in the state fiscal year beginning April 1, 2011, sufficient to reduce unneeded excess capacity in the state prison system."

The move was questioned Wednesday by lawmakers during a budget hearing. They expressed concern the task force would reach its conclusions after the budget, and hoped a draft would be published.

"I would ask that we have some transparency ahead of time," said Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, whose district includes 10 state prisons. "As difficult as the decisions are that are going to be made, and I know you have to start figuring and making and planning, that we need to know in the interests of transparency what facilities are being considered ... I would hope that this isn't something that comes a number of days after the budget. It could be 40 days after the budget."

Assemblyman Jeff Aubry, D-Queens, said he "can't believe there's no plan there to meet that 3,500 bed number."

Brian Fischer, commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services -- slated to merge with other departments under the umbrella of the Division of Criminal Justice Services -- said the task force would "see what the prison system is doing. I think there can be an honest assessment on what we want to curtail, change or modify."

"My first priority would be, 'What can I afford,' as opposed to, 'What is the impact on the community, on the work force,' " he said, adding, "I think the governor is looking for the task force to take into account the impact on the community, the impact on the work force in addition to all the other things that impact facilities."

The task force will have 16 voting members, including 10 appointed by the governor and three each from the Assembly and Senate (majority two, minority one). It is tasked with making its decisions with not just the excess capacity -- Cuomo seeks to remove 3,500 beds -- but also is considering condition, location and the costs of transportation and energy.

Donn Rowe, president of the New York State Correctional Officers PBA, testified closures "represent a clear and present danger to our prison system and the men and women who serve in it." His union said figures presented by the Department of Correctional Services are inaccurate because they don't account for inmates housed in temporary programs.

Fischer stood by his numbers, and insisted the practice of "double-bunking" inmates -- the union estimates there are 10,000 inmates housed in this way -- "given the fiscal limitations what we're doing makes sense and is safe."

The hearing closed with a plea from Albany Common Councilwoman Barbara Smith that legislators find money to continue Operation SNUG, a gang violence pilot program going on in Albany and other cities. Among other things, it hires ex-offenders to mediate disputes.

"Every shooting that SNUG prevents saves the taxpayers millions of dollars," she said.

One of the Albany SNUG employees, Jermal Greenwood, was released from jail Tuesday after violating his parole performing work duties. Harris Oberlander, the CEO of Trinity Alliance, the non-profit group administering SNUG, said a meeting will take place Friday, including Greenwood's parole officer, to see if he can be hired back.